Can anyone recommend a program for verifying the integrity (against the original) of CD files. I wish to verify a perfect-write before I delete the original files from my HDD (space is filling up!)

'CD Check' would be the obvious candidate, but I can't get my head around the 'hash' business (must be old age!). Maybe it's simpler than it looks, but the whole thing doesn't seem to be explained in simple terms.

Mike I know it a bit late for this info, but, if you use NERO to write your disks there is a facillity to verify built in. When you startto write the disk look to the bottom of the page and insert a tick into the verify box.

Thanks 'ErnieK', I'll check that one out.

CDCheck shouldnt be too hard to use - especially if you just use the compare button. The results can be just read, printed or saved to a file.

To help to get your head around hashes. These are hexadecimal values calculated for each file (different algorithms for different types and with MD5 being commonplace) and saved, by default, (as a text file with a .crc file extension) in the folder that you are checking. This enables you to return to that folder at any later time and check it to see whether it still contains exactly the same files.

When you do a simple compare the program uses the same hash values (without printing or displaying them) to check if both contain identical files - and thus verify that the source and destination are the same. If not then it will report the fact as an error.

Its a great program. Just create two folders with a couple of identical files in them to experiment. Change one of the files by say just adding or deleting one character and compare the folders again. Then go ahead with a full CD.